Traitor's Granddaughter
by Tavae Themisal
Summary: Another DnD bit from the DM's personal world. My character gets captured by people that mean her ill will. Definate adult themes. M fo sho.
1. Preface

not necessaryly needed but good to know background information for this story.

the main Character is from a Kindom called Nuelm.

Nuelm is a kindom that uses magic daily for mundane tasks.

Her mother was a refugee from the Imperium.

The Imperium imprisons and collars magic users treating them as slaves in most cases. The actual item in question that causes the enslavement is a crop that holds within it the spirit of a demon. The collar is more a symbol and a conduit for the demon to invade the mind of the enslaved.

And with that knowlegeit should make things a little easier to follow. but other tidbits of information will weed themselves out in the story itself. I cant wait to see what info you glean and if yo decide to share it with me.

Tavae


	2. Dreams of Demons

Traitor's Granddaughter

Chapter 1: Dreams of Demons

"The wicked are always surprised to find that the good can be clever." Marquis de Vauvanargues

* * *

_The bed was so soft. She didn't want to wake up but knew that there were things that had to be done. She took the time to stretch languorously before slipping her feet to the carpeted floor. Padding to the wardrobe, she opened it to find something to wear. Her brow furrowed. A hard frown crossed her face. There wasn't a single dress that she would wear in there. She sorted through them looking for a comfortable set of breeches. In lieu of that she chose the most modest thing hanging there._

_That turned out to be a wicked thing. There was no back to the dress what so ever. The front was cut to the navel in a V. It was patterned after flames and actually flowed to the floor, which was the only reason it was the most modest of the dresses._

_She assessed her appearance in the mirror. The scoop necked leaf patterned dress made her pale skin glow ethereally. Her nearly translucent hair was piled on her head in a severe up-do that made her look much older than she was. She felt ready to face the day._

_She descended the stairs from her confining shack, not bothering to make the flea infested pallet that she had been afforded to sleep on. Her father was at the breakfast table reading the most recent Snildon Herald. His eyes rose over the edge of the newspaper. "Good morrow, youngling, I trust you slept well."_

_"MmmHmmm."She mumbled as she took a large bite of the Prapple marmalade slathered toast that had been sitting on the table in front of her._

_"Good. Because you need to wake up before your suitor arrives."_

_She swallowed, brow furrowed in puzzlement as he faded from the other side of the small desk in her shack. She looked down at the purple dressing gown that she was wearing and it hit her. She wasn't really awake. There was a heavy knock at the door. She rose to answer in her usual casual attire. A tight sleeved linen shirt in barely blue under an indigo vest. The vest was left open to show the high waisted ebony brocade trousers. These ended at mid-calf where her indigo kid-leather riding boots took over._

_She threw the heavy bolt and ran a hand through her recently shortened hair. The entity's smile made her cringe. It also caused her to realize that he had been messing with her. She was slightly angered at that but decided to let it pass. He was a demon after all and it was in their nature to skew a person's perceptions._

_"Didn't like my selections?" he drawled in that irresistible voice._

_"I don't really care for things that make me look like a strumpet from the red light district."She said with a lopsided smirk._

_"Ah so your nation doesn't typically dress its women in such attire?"_

_"No, everyone gets to make a choice. Generally, only street walkers or someone intending to shock the assemblage. The worst trend that I have seen is probably the one that was a low v in front with a mid-back scoop."_

_He gave an eyebrow lift to indicate that it was interesting . "Not what we are told."_

_He gestured for her to walk with him outside. She closed the door on the way out._

_"By whom?" She asked dryly. "The masters of your prison or your controlling overlord?"_

_A look of controlled rage passed through his eyes. "Does it really matter who tells us these things?"_

_"Only in that they are misinformed."Her eyes narrowed. "Enough of this idle banter, what is it you want?"_

_"The same thing that I wanted last time, but I know that you won't give it to me."_

_"Not willingly, not now. I do not know you well enough."_

_"What is there to need to get to know? I am what I am and I will not go against my nature."_

_"No but for all the minds you have contact with, you are lonely. I have to say that I pity you there. So many people and not one friend among them."_

_He gripped her shoulders painfully. "What do you really know wretched elf!"He raged at her. His hands slid down to where he could turn her with a harsh twist to her arm. Before her was a mirror, it reflected the pained look on her face and the malicious grin on his. "You sit here now with every intention of getting me to change my view on your kind. It won't happen you know."_

_She gritted out a smile through her pain. "I could only hope. You know one of my best friends is half-succubus. She has the vilest temper, much like yours, but she also knows how to reign it in. It appears that you need more practice at it."_

_He shoved her to the ground with full force. The rocks and pebbles bit into her hands leaving little trails of blood. "You can be too observant."_

_"Consider me your trial in patience." She smiled._

_"That I will."He grinned back at her. She couldn't suppress the shudder that passed through her at the sight of his viciously pointed teeth._

_They continued on in silence after that, eventually arriving back at her stoop. He gestured for her to enter. Before she was able to get herself safely ensconced behind the door, he took one hand, kissing it lightly across the knuckles before releasing her to re-enter the safe haven of her shanty._


	3. Working for the Enemy

Traitor's Granddaughter

Chapter 2: Working for the Enemy

"The most important thing is to bewhatever you are without shame." Rod Stiger

* * *

She woke to a light tapping on her shoulder. Cracking her eyes she saw her tutor there with a tray. She ate a small feast of eggs, toast and ham with him in grateful silence. It was the first completely solid meal she'd had in week, her stomach tried to rebel but she was able to hold it down. He started as she nodded her thanks to him.

"Now we need to talk. What things have you done prior to your journey to the light?"

"I was teaching and taking care of various house chores."

He raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Not to be rude, but that sounds absurd from what I've been told of Nuelm."

"What can I say, we were a strange family. Mother never allowed father and grandfather to hire a house servant. Now we did have an occasional stable boy, but most of them would quit after a short time. That would leave it up to us to be sure the manor was always in order."

He was taking notes as she spoke. Once she stopped he looked up, prompting her to continue.

"Umm…that is what took up most of my time until recently, I was drafted into service with a group of my friends due to the war and here I am."

"So just what was it you were drafted for?"

"My ability to take the worst of assignments and find some way to make them work."

"So you would be considered some sort of miracle worker in the military's eyes?"

"No, just someone with incredibly dumb luck."

He snorted back some humor at this. Standing he strode over to his stool and motioned for her to come sit. "You wouldn't be averse to teaching here would you?"

"Depends on what you are asking me to teach. I will not instruct in anything that will compromise the security of Nuelm."

"You admit to knowing secrets of the enemy but refuse to divulge them. Why remain loyal to a nation that you will never again see?"

"There will come a time when what I know will be of no use. Besides what I know of tactics has probably already been examined, shared and deemed of no consequence as there are those that know more than I do who have already had their minds picked. That and my family still lives there. I will not do anything that will jeopardize their continued health."

"A respectable notion there. What would you be willing to teach?"

"A better sense of where the body lies in space, how to quiet it, how to go unseen, how to get out of tight places. Oh and the mythology and language of the dragon myths."

"The first few are a very good start, but the last seem completely non-useful what so ever."

"Ahh. You never know when a myth may become a reality. Stranger things have happened."

He shrugged. "Yes well. I will deliver this list to the councilors and give them my opinion. You will remain here until I return."

She nodded her assent assuming that he knew full well that she might have tried to escape. Not a likely chance, she had no clue as to her location in the Imperium, there were too many enemies between here and the door to whatever building she was being held in let alone between her and the nearest border. No suffice it to say that she wasn't planning on going anywhere anytime soon. Her luck wouldn't hold to get her as far as she needed to be away from here.

Instead she cleared the small bits of furniture that were in the room to the corners. Then she stretched out to limber up before going through one of many tumbling routines. These were something that they would occasionally hold competitions for in the school. She had yet to enter one herself. She just hoped that she would be able to do so some day.

Having just completed a pass, she had her back to the door as she balanced lightly on her right hand slowly lowering her feet to the floor. She was so concentrated on this maneuver that she never heard the door open. The loud clapping startled her as she came down causing her to miss her footing and twist her ankle on the way down.

She bit back her curse and rolled to her knees. "You have word already?"

He looked shocked. "Already? I've been gone near three hours. Have you been at this display since I left?"

"Yes."She said sheepishly. "I needed to burn off some pent up energy. Must have lost any sense of time."

"No matter, from what I just saw we have made the right decision. You are to begin your classes on the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow you will go to your first sermon at the square and then you will be escorted to new quarters."

"What will be on the agenda for the rest of my day?"

An almost sad look crossed his eyes as a pair of flocklings entered the room. "You are to go with these two. They will take you to a debriefing." There was a very subtle emphasis on debriefing.


	4. Debriefing

She knew she was in for some trouble. The trip from her tutoring chambers to the interrogation room was relatively short. It was the first time that she had been outside since that sickening teleport though. The sunlight was painful, like sewing needles pricking her eyes; the clothing she had been supplied barely adequate to stave off the cold. So it was that she reached up to rub a little warmth into her arms as she stepped into the chamber.

She didn't see the guards on either side of the door that pushed her to her knees; the only thing she saw was the statue of the Radiance at the back of the room before she received a boot to the middle of her back that forced her forehead to the floor. Followed soon thereafter by a voice that she could have sworn that she had heard before.

"Some just don't learn fast enough. Now we have a few questions for you demon-spawn. You will answer them." She furrowed her brow in concentration, the voice was so familiar. She hadn't heard it in a little while but…she heaved a sigh and let it pass. It would come to her or not as the Laughing One willed. Besides dwelling on it would only wear her out more.

There was a brief pause before another voice picked up with the first question.

"Who are you?"

"Sareth M'Kilas."There was a tingling sensation at the base of her skull. She received a harsh amount of pressure to her spine when she attempted to reach to itch the spot. There were some barely audible sounds…speaking?...oh how she wished that she could see what was going on.

"Who sent you?"

She frowned into the floor puzzled as to the seeming inaness of the question. Couldn't they at least come up with something better than that? Torture shouldn't be this humorous. "No one sent me. I was pulled from my original destination during a teleport."

There was more pressure on her back as the next question came. The seam of the ice cold granite tiles bit into her cheek. If she didn't know better she could have sworn that boot boy was trying to make her face occupy the same space as the tile beneath it. It continued on like this for some time, pressure never lifting but increasing with every question that she apparently did not answer to their liking. Then the question she had been expecting all along came.

"Where is the former Lord High Praetor?"

"Hopefully sipping tea with his daughter and son-in-law in Nuelm!"She spat out defiantly; jaw grinding into the floor with each word. She had gotten tired of their little game. For all she knew they had him and were just doing this in order have some sort of sick fun.

Spots swam before her eyes as she was hauled to her feet, luckily she did not pass out. Before her vision cleared she was slapped hard several times, adding the sharp sting of a bruised cheek to that of her aching neck and back. She still hadn't caught a glimpse of the face that went with the voice as a blindfold was placed over her eyes.

Someone seized her shoulders. The grip was extremely strong as she attempted to struggle free of it. Her thrashing did not get her far as she felt two more sets of hands clamp down at her wrists and knees. At first her mind registered that there should be three but as her sense expanded along her captors arms she realized that all three sets of hands belonged to one person. A pit of dread opened up in her stomach. She had only met one being with six arms and he accompanied only one person. "Illim!" she whispered in surprise. Then a bit louder. "Shouldn't you be at the front?"

There was no answer save for a resoundingly hard slap that rattled her teeth. As her head cleared, she could have sworn that she heard the clicking and scraping of something on the floor in an almost type of code. She wasn't sure but soon after the noise stopped she heard his voice again, sounding almost pleased. "Prepare her."

His six armed slave's hands tightened on her as he moved. His grip shifted and she felt her arms being chained over her head, toes barely scraping the floor. Then her hand me down clothing was removed so that she was naked.

As she concentrated on the feel of her bonds, she realized that they were not metal. They had all the strength, if not more than, the finest crafted mithril but were entirely too soft, comfortable even. She gasped, opening her eyes suddenly beneath the blindfold, as she felt her stomach churn a bit from the sudden movement from standing to laying.

Something cold and wet touched the center of her naval, meticulously twisting its way outward on her stomach. She counted the ever-widening spiral…one, two, three…a total of thirteen times from mid-point to outermost edge. Somewhere around loop number seven she felt the bristles of the brush, they were extremely coarse, feeling more like spikes than hair. About swirl nine she felt her skin begin to warm, tingling in a most unpleasant fashion. After the brush was replaced with a hard object that was slightly warmer than her tingling skin which also started its journey at the center point of her naval, she started to feel ready for something elusive. As the object finished each of its lines with quick, practiced strokes, the feeling began to settle low in her stomach. She thought briefly about the lines as they were drawn; center to left nipple, center to right nipple, center to bottom of the left rib cage, center to bottom of right. Her eyes widened at the last, center strait down. Down so far that she could have sworn that the creator of this pictograph would reach inside to recreate it there. The cold wetness of the brush returned, made even colder now that her skin felt like it was on fire. Small, Precise strokes created one glyph and then another that felt as if it were being cold-branded into her skin. It dawned on her that this must be a ritual of some kind. After several minutes the brush was removed from her naked torso, just to move to her forehead. Just a couple of swift, sure strokes there and it moved on to her chin skipping the blindfold. Once these markings were complete she felt distanced from herself, there but as if she were like her mapping rock, just recording what was around her. Finally the blindfold was removed and the loathsome voice continued.

"You will witness every moment of this, in the future you will dread forever what is coming but never truly remember why."

As he finished his little speech the servant lined her eyes just so with the warm hardness of the charcoal pencil. Starting with the upper lid, he traced along the crease coming to the corner and out, curling the tale of the line along the upper edge of her temple. Then he repeated the simple lining on her bottom, this time tracing along the bottom edge of the temple and ending with a swirl in the center of it. She felt the muscles paralyze locking her eyes open. For the first time in about five years she saw Ilim, his eyes were still that overly intense violet that you either fell into or shuddered at the site of. His lean, toned body was just as decorated as hers was. Arrayed behind him was a rack of 'toys' that she doubted even Cherry knew all the uses for.

"To answer your earlier question, I am on respite at the moment, which I am going to enjoy much more than you."He looked to his servant. "Be sure to inform Serge that her questioning is going to take longer than originally anticipated and to ask the students to forgive her stubbornness."

He folded his six arms over his chest and bowed before sauntering off to do his masters bidding.

She watched with dread as Illim came nearer with a wicked short blade. The dread turned to shock as she felt her body tingle with anticipation. Her captor just smiled at the reaction. "Oh, yes I am going to enjoy this much more!"


	5. Revilations

It was sometime later, a day or a week, she wasn't really sure, when she first woke up in her shanty. She vaguely remembered being escorted here by a couple of the guards the night before. Mainly her mind had been on not throwing up or screaming from the aching pain in her body. She also had this sense that she was missing something, but couldn't figure out quite what.

It was a Glorification Day so they were all expected to show to the square for services. So she tiredly pulled on her clothing to make the aching march to the slave quarters square after tidying up. She straitened up her threadbare blanket on the flea infested straw tick she was given to sleep on, dusted down the ledges, folded the one change of clothing she had been given, then stepped outside to begin the trek to the square.

It was a moderate walk from her shanty. One that could have been boring if not for the others taking it. As it was she was barely out her door when Dominic caught up with her.

"Sareth!"

She turned as the sound of his voice. Now that she could actually see his face, she found that he was not bad looking, not great but not bad. He had close set blue-green eyes that were slightly canted, a strait wide based nose, slightly high cheekbones and small even lips. Much of this hinted at there being some elven blood or something mixed into his heritage.

"Hey Dominic! How have you been doing?"

"I'm fine. I was more worried about you."

"I've been alright. Why do you ask?"

"Well they kept you much longer than everyone else for questioning. Even came out about this time tomorrow…last week that is, to indicate that you were being stubborn and would be detained a bit longer in order to get you to answer the questions."

It was what he left unspoken that let her know that he expected her to look much worse than she did. They walked in silence for a time before she admitted. "I really do not remember much about that. I remember being taken into the questioning chambers, that they asked me about the former Lord High Praetor after a time but after that it goes blank."

He looked taken aback for a moment. "Why would they think that you know anything about him?"

She heaved a sigh figuring that she may regret it later but knowing that at least someone besides her should know. "He's my grandfather."

She waited for his shock and highly probable revulsion at the statement. Instead he snorted back a laugh. "You're kidding right?" When she held her serious look his eyes grew wide. "No way. Sounds like you are in for a rough time. What did you tell them? Do you know where he is?"

She smiled at his youthful chatter. "I said that I hoped that he was sipping tea with is daughter and son-in-law in Nuelm, not that I really know if he is or not but that was the goal of the little fiasco that got me here."

"What happened?"

A pained look crossed her features. Luckily for her they arrived at the square as this question came up. "I'll tell you after we are done here."She whispered.

They found a place in the middle of the crowd as the last bell faded with the morning mists. On the heels of the last echo came the voice of the priest from the middle of a raised stone platform.

"We thank thee oh most Radiant Lord for chasing away the night's darkness and the Mists of the Dark Beast that would cling onto the edges of your day to coerce the fledglings gathered before us into his service. Let us all voice our thanks."

She mumbled a thanks with the rest of the bleating sheep gathered in the square. The priest then continued.

"The Light smiles on you this morning my young charges. He sees fit to brighten your path and lead you from the darkness much as He has the rest of his children. All that he asks is that you turn your back on the heathen 'gods' that you follow and acknowledge that there is only one god. These "gods" were shown to us long ago to be false and in most cases demons from the darkness bent on nothing more than stealing your soul in some fashion.

"He took pity on his true children and showed us the error of our ways. Many of our misguided he saved and there were some that were blessed with abilities that others find hard to comprehend. These abilities were granted after endless hours of toil and sacrifice, in recognition of the hard work of many and the aching blistered hands that followed. So shall it be with you, go forth and show your worth by that which you make with your own hands. Share those skills you know that are not tainted by the trappings of dark pacts, so that others may better provide for themselves and the community. Banish the darkness within, Light keep you!"

With that last fervent statement, the priest held his hands high causing everyone to kneel in supplication. The devotion bell tolled and the monotonous droning began.

She thought it would go on forever. Her stomach was growling, letting those around her know that a meal had been missed. The only warm places on her body were the ones tucked in from the chill air were the ones tucked into the bow or where the tight pack of the crowd caused another's body to touch hers. The bell signaling devotions end finally rang causing Sareth to suck back a breath of relief. Dominic tapped her on the arm and helped her to her feet.

"Soooo." He prompted, having not forgotten about her promise to tell him more after the gathering was over.

She took a look around as her stomach growled. "Let's find something to eat, a quiet place and I will elaborate."In the mean time they chatted idlely about miscellaneous things; from the chill of the day and the inadequate protection of the clothing to the validity of certain planes of existence. Once they received their allotted gruel, they found a quiet clearing near to an storage shed in one of the gardens. Before he could ask her she began.

"I was in Autenburg, sent forth by the Magistrates and the Military High Command, to retrieve what I knew as "the package." Needless to say I had my suspicions that it was my grandfather long before I met up with him due to other things that had happened on my way home from a merchanting expedition. Anyway, it was way colder there than here of course, I attempted to get us out of there in under the watchful eyes of Imperial spies in the city. To do so I had to set up a voyage to sea and have my grandfather send for a couple of his mages, they cast the teleports within seconds of each other and the few of us in that group were given a nasty surprise. Needless to say I have no clue what happened to the others, those that were with me or my grandfathers group, but I can only hope that they survived."

She finished. Stirring her gruel idlely as she waited for him to comprehend everything, her apatite had diminished since beginning the edited version of the tale.

He eyed her with slight suspicion. "But why didn't they just kill you on sight like they must have with the others?"

She put her bowl down then and mumbled. "I wish they would have."After heaving a sigh she continued loud enough for him to hear. "They wanted me alive, Dominic; I had known this before-hand but decided that getting grandfather to the relative safety of Nuelm was worth the risk of getting caught."

"You don't even know the man, why would you be so worried about him?"

"Known to me or not, he is still family. To not have aided him would have been like having his blood on my hands anyway."

"I see." He didn't really but she didn't need to know that. He had a family and for all he was concerned of them they could rot in the darkest depths of the Abyss. He didn't tell her as much but instead chose to change the subject. "So what's on your agenda for tomorrow? I have a couple of classes myself and then it's off to the laundry house to aid with the washing of the underwear." He smiled as if joking on the last part.

She smiled back. "Well tomorrow I actually start teaching a few things. Maybe I'll see you in one of my classes."She looked at her bowl again. "Do you want this? I don't feel too good at the moment."She held it out to him.

His eyes lit up as he took the bowl. "Thanks!" He said around the first mouthful.


	6. Misunderstandings

It was yet again Glorification Day, while she had successfully been able to not keep track of the days, it seemed that the priests conspired to remind her of the weeks that went by. It was another of those beautifully lying days, where the sun shone so intensely that you could swear that it should be sweltering out, but as you opened the door the cold draft of wind that so harshly reminded you that it was still mid-winter. She opened her door to this, somewhat surprised to see that Dominic was not finding some excuse to tarry near her hut. This had been the normal going on for many a devotion call, as they would hold whispered conversations after the first monotonous repetition of the chant to relieve boredom. On this day, he was nowhere within site. This troubled her greatly but there was nothing she could do and made the boring trek to the square on her own.

Today had just been another day of classes. Yet again she wondered at how fast these young ones had taken to the training and how some, about seven of them, seemed to be vying for teachers pet as they would stay after asking question after question or even asking for correction in form. She was thinking of even holding a tumbling competition soon just to see who would be on top. She smiled to herself at this, there was that one kid…Cylus?...she thought would do real well, if he could get over the performance anxiety he had. He had been doing so well with what they had gone over today but when he realized that she had been watching with a critical eye, he faltered and near took his head off on one of the trip wires that he'd previously avoided. He was one of those seven, he had such a drive and was so refreshingly honest that she might find herself falling for him if she weren't careful.

She had just entered the small stand of trees. She liked passing through here because it was peaceful and she could almost imagine that she were back home in her parent's backyard. Then she heard it. Something akin to the squeal of a pig, no there it was again and there was no mistaking the very humanoid cry that followed it. There was a child in danger. She drew nearer and could just begin to make out the distinct sounds of boots contacting flesh. Holding back no longer, she skidded to a halt amidst the group of boys. Some reared back in surprise and others didn't stop throwing kicks until they realized that they were being defended off. But they all backed away several feet when they caught the look of fury on her face. Then she recognized one. "Who put you up to this Cylus?"

"I…uhhh…" he mumbled as he scuffed the ground with his toe. He was so sheepish that she was sure he wouldn't talk. The other boys in his group had slowly started edging away.

"Don't even."She narrowed her eyes at them. "All you are accomplishing is to confirm the belief that those of us with arcane ability are evil and out of control."There was a brief movement of leaves to her left. She jumped and snatched the young man from the tree. "As for the choice of people you hang out with," she twisted the young man's arm behind his back, "if they are not willing to face punishment with you…they aren't worth getting in trouble for."She gave a small nod of her head and the boys ran off.

"As for you, Dominic," she pushed her captive to his knees as she let go of his arm, "I thought that you had a better head on your shoulders than this. I catch you doing anything like this again and you won't be let off so easy…"She was sad and felt that there was something amiss. She turned to the Praetor hopeful, kneeled and offered a hand for him to rise. "I apologize for them."He just stared at her. "Come now we must get you back to your quarters and see if one of the clerics will come to tend you."He tentatively took her hand and attempted to stand. His leg gave out from under him and he wailed. Not hesitating one more moment she swung him into her arms and began to carry him straight for the healers' wing.

The shock lasted for all of a minute once she entered with him. It was just long enough for Sareth to get severely irritated. As she took a breath to speak one pointed to a table. She had just enough time to the whimpering child on the table before she was elbowed out of the way. Then yet another yanked her around and slapped her.

"How DARE you. Such a vulgar display and the audacity to bring him here afterward. You are as evil as they come. You are going to be reported for this…"

The cleric would have continued on her rant, if it were not for the look that crossed Sareth's face. "That you would even let the thought cross your mind that I would be capable of harming a hair on the head of ANY child is enough to confirm that you are blind and deaf to your surroundings. It must have passed your notice that he was thanking me for helping him."

The cleric just gave her a calculating look as she shoved Sareth out of the room.

She slumped her shoulders. There would be an aftermath to this, that was one thing she was sure of. She tried not to dwell on it as she continued the walk to her quarters. She was still absorbed in thought though when there was a tap on her shoulder that made her start.

Cylus took a step back. "Easy, Mistress Sareth, I didn't mean to sneak up on you."

"Just Sareth child. Quite frankly I deserve what I get if I'm not paying attention to my surroundings."

"I know that you aren't from here but things are normally like that. We give as good as we get from those hopefuls." When Sareth looked like she was about to lay into him he continued, "but I have thought about what you said. Maybe we have been wrong with the tit for tat. It is just so frustrating to be treated like I am less than human for a circumstance of birth."

"You sound like you have been talking to many of the captured from other nations."

"We do find time, now and then." He smiled. "Usually over gruel."

Sareth smiled. "Sounds about right."The smile melted as she returned to a previous statement. "My only problem is that he looked like a target of opportunity and not one of retaliation."

He looked sheepish at this. "Well, yeah. We thought to get to him first."

Sareth cut him off. "He can't have been more than eight! He most certainly does not have sufficient training to ward off six young men more than half his size. You have a head on your shoulders, use it."

"Sorry." He bowed his head.

"None of that. You made a mistake. Learn from it, alright." She noted the guards looking their way. "We've been spotted. Time to get to our shacks."

She arrived to her quarters just in time to turn at the stairs and fake devotions. It was a full candlemark before the devotions ended. So it was that she entered her tiny shack with the last rays of the sun fading.


	7. Mindscape

The moon was the only light that she had to light her desk as she wrote. The cozy interior was bright with the full orb's light. She scrawled hastily in Nuelm.

_Beldin,_

_I do so hope that you find this. There is but a crack left open and this may be the only chance I have of contacting you. I do apologize for the silence of this, I'd much prefer in person but as you can tell, it is just not possible._

_Enough of that though. I'm as well as can be expected under the circumstances. It is gruel morning, noon and night. Devotions to the Light before that, I can honestly say that I have been sending prayers out. They aren't to the light though._

_I fear to ask but need to ease my conscious. Is he well? Please give my condolences for the loss as well. Tell him he died with honor, not hesitating a moment as we materialized. That is if you even know where they are._

_I should go now. I know not if the monster that holds you from my presence will show up and I cannot afford to have…_

There was a heavy knock at the door. She quickly hid the ink and quill and hastily stuffed the letter through the crack in the door that led to the part of her that was Beldin. She composed herself and threw the bolt on the door. Looking up she said, "It has been quite some time, what brings you now?"

That seductive voice rolled over her. She closed her eyes in spite of herself, opening them to opulence and a beautiful man running his fingers through her shoulder length hair. "I would like to continue our previous conversation."He whispered just a scant inch from her mouth.

What should have been the most revolting smell she had ever inhaled was instead the sweetest thing she had ever tasted as his mouth descended towards hers. Once their lips parted, she was in a daze. "What were we discussing again?" she asked in something akin to a drugged whisper.

"Ahh, the door back there my dear and who or what it leads to."

Her brow knit in confusion. Door? "Oh that, it is just Beldin."She paused. "He's nothing to worry about. Besides, if you were truly up on the news you'd probably have heard already."

He twirled her out as the next waltz started in the ball room. "Oh really?"

"Yes. It is a horridly long story that begins back home. There was a Praetor who had tried to take the academy. He would have succeeded if not for the vigilance of several persons."A shadow of pain crossed her eyes briefly. "Being the best choice, Beldin and I were sent to help."She looked down for a moment. "That was actually the first time that I felt the kiss of a crop."

The music stopped and the scenery melted away to her mindscape. There was a fire in the hearth and a warm blanket around her shoulders. "It is fuzzy how that connection was broken. I can only assume it is because the 'Ambassador' died."

The entity handed her a steaming cup of mulled wine. She took one sip and grimaced setting it down. "Would that it ended there, but no, Beldin went and picked up the crop. It did little to him as he resisted the urge to enslave those around him. But it nearly drove me insane with the dreams."

Her voice lowered to a whisper and tears came to her eyes. "That is where you pulled the horrid picture from when you first contacted me. The memory of one of the dreams it sent me. That is also why it has become somewhat easier for me to tell the difference between here and reality. Though it is sometimes still difficult."

"Speaking of difficult, why do you resist so much to becoming a fully functional member of society?"He asked, sensing the need for a change in direction.

"I do what I feel is right."

His brow furrowed. "Even if it causes you trouble?"

"Yes."She answered firmly. Then continued with a snort. "It only seems to cause me trouble here."

He raised an inquisitive eyebrow, already knowing what she was alluding to but wanting her elaboration.

She gave a heavy sigh. "I was returning to my quarters when I came across a group of young ones beating on a hopeful. I did what I felt necessary to stop the problem and then rushed the hopeful to the healers for aid. I think his knee was seriously injured. Of course I was accused of beating the child myself; none of the assembled healers heard the child thank me for aiding him."

"This is not how the story was presented to the Shepherd."

"Of course not, she knows my lineage. I have no doubt that there are those here who have an idea of it or even outright know. It is the ones who know that worry me. They conspired to discredit Shevar and have him removed from his position. The problem is not knowing who the conspirators are."

"You are sure of this?"

"Why else would Ilum's name be signed on contracts in the City as Lord High Praetor, long before he even held the title?"

"Interesting. But what does that have to do with anything."

A bitter smile stretched her lips. "Everything. They want to see if he can be lured back. How better than to capture and torture the daughter of his only child?"

All she got from this was a guarded nod. "You know that she comes for you."

"You thought that I doubted that. I was just wondering how long it would be."She smiled shakily. "Be yourself."

With that he smiled. Grabbing her with a rough hand and shoving her.


	8. Confessions

She woke to her own hoarse scream. Knees feeling as if they had been broken and rubbed raw. The Shepherd stood over her, crop cutting off circulation on one side of her neck. Once her eyes focused, she could make out the look of fury in the half-orc's eyes. "You have much to account for beast of the darkness. Make no mistake you will admit it all."

"I will admit to nothing but the truth."She croaked out receiving a deeper jab as she spoke.

"Oh really. We shall see, but not here. Your fellow tainted children shall hear of it from your own lips."She turned on heel and two of the attending flocklings swept forward to drag her to her feet. Her knees ached in protest but still supported her somewhat.

They half-drug her to a stone platform in the center of the slave quarters. In the center of this was a suspension device, it was into this that they strapped her. Arms out at a painful angle and legs pulled so that she hovered at an angle to the stone. It was with her in this uncomfortable position that the questioning began.

The Shepherd's voice carried out through the shanty town, such that even those that had not gathered would still hear the questioning.

"State your name for the record."

"Sareth Deidre M'Kilas."

"You are hereby charged with neglect to ward off your sinful ways of violence and control. How do you plead?"

"Perhaps if you would elaborate."

She didn't even hear the whistle of the whip through the air. The bite was all too real and caused her to catch her breath in an aroused hitch.

"Just answer the charge."

"If I say innocent you continue the beating for lying, guilty will get me more of the same. But if you will, I am innocent."

This time the whip sung and bit five times, setting her nerves into an aroused fire, before the Shepherd continued.

"It does not show well that you hold to the lie you have contrived."

"The only lie here is that which you have been given in order to conduct this travesty of Justice."

She paused long enough to let the whip continue to sing and bite. She could feel the blood trickling down her skin. She concentrated on that tickling sensation to take her mind from the pain and horror of her growing arousal. Once the whistling of the wind ceased she continued.

"It is painfully clear that you could care less for the truth than even the vilest of creatures that exist in the planes. If you want to beat me for actually saving the life of one of your aspiring Praetors, then so be it. As well, do not expect me to turn over those that did it. They were coerced into action by another. That person was given a chance to reflect on his actions as well, but was also warned that he would be watched."

As another series of singing and biting carried on, causing Sareth to begin squirming in her bonds, so did the Shepherd.

"There is no reason to believe anything that you have contrived. Unless you give the names of these supposed people, there is no one to corroborate your "facts." She turned to the growing crowd. "You have heard the charge, heard the rambling of the accused, now hear the story of what happened."

Dominic stepped from the edge of the crowd. His arm was slung and tied close to his body. He shuffled up the three shallow steps to the platform. Bowed low to the Shepherd and began to tell his tale when motioned to rise.

"I was minding my own business on my way home from class when I heard shouts and muffled crying. On investigating, I ran into a group of misguided beating on one of the hopeful. When I tried to help him, my arm was dislocated and my life threatened."

Sareth darn near snorted at the blatant lie. She had not twisted it that hard, just enough so that if he moved he would have caused himself discomfort. Something else was up though because he was now genuinely injured.

"Who was it that did those things?"

He simply pointed at Sareth with his good arm. She had known that was coming, but when Cylus rushed from the crowd she shook her head to try to warn him off.

"Hold your lies Dominic. You know full well that you were the one that incited us to do it. You were also too much of a coward to actually do anything but watch while your dirty work was conducted."

He paused as the whip cracked out and kissed the backs of his knees, causing him to hit them hard on the single step leading to the platform. Serge's voice rang out angrily over the crowd.

"You admit accomplice in this matter. But your testimony is in question, as you were witnessed by no less than two guards speaking with the accused ho her way to her quarters earlier this evening. Most likely in order to make sure you were well versed in the lie in case this matter happened. Have you anything to say to refute this?"

"Just one question for your "witness" milady."

"Ask it."

"Why would you betray a friend and countryman in such a way, Dominic?"

The older youth's eyes narrowed in blazing anger. "I no longer claim that demon loving country as mine. I have come to see the truth of the Light and seek true redemption and citizenship here. She is therefore no longer a countryman of mine. She has admitted to me that she has aided and abetted the number one enemy of the state, as well as admitting that she is the blood relation to said traitor. It is my belief that I am the only one that she had told this for when I confessed it to the priests they were genuinely shocked and appalled."

There was a ripple of murmuring through the crowd. One word from the Shepherd ended it abruptly, not even the sounds of the evening creatures could be heard.

"Silence."Her knowing, piercing gaze met Sareth's. "Is this true?"

Sareth narrowed her eyes and took a fortifying breath. "I am the grand-daughter of Harbael'emarthar Feraualfisyr, daughter of Ahkahna Feraualfisyr-M'Kilas. I have been bitten by the crop of one Ambassador Filrith, who tried to single-handedly take over my home town of Snildon by attempting to subvert every mage at the Academy of Higher Learning. He died in the effort as did a many good priests and mages there. A close friend of mine became bonded to the crop of that Praetor and we travelled as merchants to your country to see it removed from his possession. I and my friends were captured, how they escaped I have no idea, but I was separated from them and taken to a gilded cage. Your current Lord High Praetor missed cropping me by a cross draw seconds before I met my grandfather for the first time."

She never faltered the entire speech, the strength and conviction behind her words creating a flicker of informed opinions to take root in the crowds' minds. The Shepherd caught a flicker of warning from her crop that she needed to take control of the situation back. She cut Sareth off as she drew breath for her next sentence.

"Some of that contrivance I am willing to believe. But answer me this…did he even attempt to keep you?"

It wasn't so much the question that caused her suspicion that there was more to this whole thing but more that, even though she would have told less than the truth to answer that question, she felt herself spilling the facts before she could stop herself. Tears falling at her lack of capacity to protect information condemning her grandfather on top of the building sexual frustration.

"No. In fact, he sat on the bed and looked the other way as I knocked him out. He had his most trusted remove me from the building. From there I was led to my friends, at some point I was warned to never return to this country."

"But yet here you are…why is this?"

"Because, in the attempt to see my grandfather to the safety of a defector's sanctuary in Nuelm, our teleport was detected and diverted. This had been anticipated so we took measures to see to it that there was more than one group."

"To what end?"

"In the hope that the first group's teleport would be able to mask the second's and they would make it to their final destination."

"Where was this destination?"

"My group's was a swamp near a plantation on the outskirts of Snildon, the others was changed at the last second so I do not know."

She expected to feel the loving bite of the whip once more, but it did not land both frustrating her sensitive nerves and relieving her troubled mind at the same time. There was movement out of the corner of her eye as she had made out the Shepherds halted intake of breath signaling a new question. Pain shot through her as she turned to see what had halted the questioning.

There stood the head priest, a look of fury in his eyes, though she was not sure if it were directed at her or the Shepherd. She heard the jingling of the chains as she was lowered to the ground and they were adjusted to hold her in place with her wrists clamped together in front of her. It was once this was done that Serge spoke again. The beginning coming out as a snort.

"It appears that this spy has been busy, in her free time that is. So now I ask, who is it that has been spending the nights with her, of course you do know that is doesn't matter if you come forward or not I will find out who got this treacherous harlot with child and they will answer appropriately. The harshness of the punishment is dependent on whether or not you come forward now or I have to root you out."She paused long enough for a low mumble to rumble over the crowd but no one stepped forward to answer the accusation. She looked directly at Sareth. "Perhaps you would like to point the person responsible out?"

Sareth was confused. Pregnant? She couldn't be. She had been with no one but Graham and had been taking precautions since that very first time. She had been keeping to herself, no one but her had been in her shack…How could this have happened. This was all that was going through her head while she blinked blankly at Serge. Who laughed at her reaction.

"You didn't know? Did your parents not teach you where children come from. Ahh…no matter, whoever got you in this condition will answer the charge in one fashion or another. In the mean time, you are going to have your wounds attended to and be given a harlots punishment."With that she waved off the crowd, who were harried through the darkness by the guards that had originally kept the masses there.

Sareth was aided to her feet by two junior priests in time to see Cylus being aided to his feet by two hopefuls to be led away. She was uncertain if she had caught her look of apology as they roughly turned him toward his date with debriefing. The priests that held her gently carried her to the back of the platform where a litter sat waiting. They carefully placed her on her side avoiding causing her anymore of the excrutiatingly arousing pain to her wounds, hoisted her with practiced gentleness not jarring her at all as they carried her off.


	9. Violations

She came to rest in a stone room she recognized from the statue at its back. She assumed that the priests bowed and left, at the very least there was movement from behind her and the sound of the door closing. The echoing boom it made left her with a feeling of dread, she could feel bile started to rise as the elder priest turned toward her his vibrant ice-blue eyes near to glowing in the faint light of the room.

"It is my turn to see to you. I can assure you that it will be almost as pleasurable for me to see to this as it was for me to watch you're taming, not that you will be allowed to remember it; all you will know is that your back was healed and the bit was placed. That in and of itself will bring you to the brink…"

He trailed off as another being scraped into the room behind her, she wasn't about to turn onto her back to look she had just gone comfortably numb, but she could feel that it was not fully humanoid. She closed her eyes as the priest approached to unceremoniously jerk her arms over her head causing a gasp of pleasure/pain to rip through her. Her wrists were shackled in the toughest, most comfortable shackles…hadn't she felt this before?...that she had ever been placed in. They didn't chafe and had a little give but they did not loosen when stretched out nor did they feel like they would be easy to cut. Her earlier bile came out as she was tilted onto her back abruptly enough that there wasn't a chance for her confused nerves to register the pain as pleasure.

When the almost familiar wetness touched her stomach her eyes went wide, mainly at the niggling familiarness of the pictograph he was drawing. He worked in silence, sure strokes, switching deftly between brush and pencil as needed; almost as if he had done this drawing hundreds of times so efficiently did he complete it. His sadistic smile met her eyes as he scratched the quick strokes on her forehead and chin . Then he moved to lining her eyes. A tracing on the upper lid that continued out to her temples to end in a swirl there, much like the one he had drawn on her stomach. Then along the bottom crease of her lid and out, carefully under-tracing the swirl as if to create a cradle for it to set in. She was distanced yet very aware of her face and head. She felt the scratch of the charcoal pencil on her cheek; he drew an angle from the hinge of her jaw out, first on one, then the other. The muscles in her face reacted as he traced the last line, easing open to the angle he had drawn. He then added a couple of quick glyphs to this. Causing the excess saliva to dry and immobilizing her tongue. He then set to work covering each of her teeth with a metal cap that reached into her gums. She was so focused on the high pitched ringing of the tiny hammer he was using to tap the caps into place that she barely noticed the sting at her hips as something pierced here there, nor did she feel her body's instant release at this violation of her person. No she felt more the fission of painful pleasure as the caps violated the edged of her gums to seat themselves securely around the roots of her teeth. The supposed numbness of her lower body was irritating, she really wanted to know what was going on, but she could not move her head either. It wasn't until the priest paused hearing something that she couldn't perceive that she fully realized there was something going on down there at all.

"No. Leave those ones, we do still need the cover of pregnancy or have you forgotten that we have a cover to keep as well?"

There was some scraping and tapping that sounded upset.

"He will understand too. Serge would have whipped her until she miscarried at the very least, if not until the traitor had only a body to retrieve. There was no other way."

She had a brief, distant sting of pain from the vicinity of her hips, but that was nothing compared to the pain she felt suddenly from her teeth. He hadn't stopped the placing of the caps during the entire conversation. Now, as he tapped the last one into place, they contoured to her teeth clamping down with such force that she could have sword every tooth was pulling from her head. That pain set her nerves on fizzing edge, just to be turned to a searing fire as the priest ever so gently caressed the markings from her cheeks, continuing to clean her in the reverse of how he had marked her in the first place. The muscles were so tired from being forcefully held open for so long that her already heavy jaws snapped together with a muffled clink. It was all she could do to not bite her cheeks they slammed so fast. Before she could attempt to say anything the priest said something that she couldn't make out, as she tried to open her mouth she was rewarded with the blinding pain of all of her teeth attempting to pull themselves out of her head at once. The disconcerting thing to her was that she actually felt herself climax from this pain. It was shortly after this she heard the chanting begin, it was in Imperium this time so she could tell that it was a healing chant, from elsewhere other voices could be heard joining in.


	10. Concessions

She remembered being in the chamber for the healing but the details were fuzzy, everything but the priest placing the gag into her mouth seemed to be missing from her memories. This puzzled her as she had a strange sense of déjà vu that occurred while she was there that she could not seem to shake. She shrugged it off as she went through her daily chores in the mute silence caused by the gag. Her knees ached and the muscles wanted to cramp in protest because she hadn't had sufficient food or water this rising, but it seemed that every time that she had one moment to even poke her head into the kitchen someone would pull her to another task. Perhaps someone was really opting to keep tabs on her now, a suspicion as she was summoned to the Shepherd's presence by Mg'rlr that was confirmed in her mind.

"You are herby summoned to the presence of your master, you will comply immediately or face the consequences."She had gotten to know the demon in the Shepherd's crop fairly well over their many encounters and while he would never betray his nature she still considered him a friend, so she answered quietly.

"As you say, my friend. I will come as fast as my abused body will allow."

She turned, yet again from the haven of the kitchen and much needed fluids, to trudge her way across the compound to the Grand Shepherd's quarters. On her way there she contemplated her current attire. The non-descript robes began with a tight collar that wrapped itself just under the connection of the head and the neck following the line of the skull closely. On reaching the closure it wrapped up to form a hood that covered her now shorn head from its beginning in the back to the eyebrow line in the front where it changed briefly to a piece of cloth just sheer enough to allow her to see before once again turning into solid cloth that covered her face melting over her chin to seamlessly meet back up with the collar. Following the collar down, to where it loosened enough for the entire thing to flare out enough to cover the body, yards and yards of cloth with no defined shoulders or sleeves, just slits that were hard to find, so that her gloved arms and hands could be used in order to keep the robes clean. Which was extremely hard to do given how flowing the material was, she had seen one of her fellow silenced ones pass too close to one of the hearth fires, the screaming, mobile torch that followed was forever burned into her memory. No one had moved to help the poor soul, no one had been able to identify the body afterward either, the only person who would have known who it was had been out of the area at the time; attending some dinner or some such in another part of the realm. Now Serge was back and, strangely enough, demanding Sareth's presence.

She arrived after the long, boring if somewhat scenic, walk to the Shepherd's Palace entering in through one of the entrances that the demon had indicated to her was designated for her kind. He was also kind enough to give the route to where Serge was located in the manor at the time. So it was she wound her way through back passages and deserted hallways until she found the doors to the Shepherd's parlor, pausing momentarily before she politely knocked on the closed door, her hand hovered over the lovely wood when she was given leave to enter. Her aching muscles protested opening the heavy door but still managed to close it behind her after she entered. What greeted her eyes was the last thing she expected, there was a meal set out which was obviously more than Serge could possibly eat in one sitting…was she to be tortured in this way as well…her stomach rumbled loudly causing her captor to admonish her.

"Don't lurk in doorways child, it's rude. One might question your upbringing. Come, sit, and fill your belly."

She eyed the half-Orc suspiciously as she came further into the room. This was a sure flip from the way she was used to being treated what could have possibly…

"Oh enough with the suspicion already, it was pointed out to me that starving a pregnant woman was tantamount to murder, so you will report here to wait on me personally for the duration of this condition. You are allowed to eat and drink as you need but will remain silent otherwise, is that clear?"

She simply nodded her shrouded head in affirmation as Serge approached; she flinched as the Praetor's hands lifted toward her head.

"Easy child, if you want to eat the hood must be removed. I'll not have you soiling this set of robes unecessisarily so actually we will remove the entire thing at the moment."

So she stood there in nothing more than what the gods graced her with on her birth, having peeled the gloves off as well. She felt the other woman's assessing gaze on her. But stood firm in place until she was lightly shoved in the direction of the table, Serge gave a brief guttural laugh.

"You needn't worry about me, little bird, I am quite firm in my like of the opposite sex. On the other hand there are several sexually deprived young men here who might not restrain themselves at the wanton display of so much female flesh."

That caused Sareth to move quickly to a chair so she could put as much cover between her naked body and the young…boys really… who entered the room from the opposite door. She noted that the Shepherd beat a hasty retreat out of the room, gesturing for her to eat before the door closed and she heard several locks slide home. Before she reached to the nearest platter, she noted the approaching group. Seven in all, each of them she recognized at the least and one she knew remembered by name.

"Cylus!"She near stood but caught herself remembering, rather embarrassedly, that she was not wearing a stitch of clothing.

"Sareth! They took you to the healers and we never saw you after that where have you been?"

She gestured to the yards of cloth pooled on the ground half way to the chair in which she sat from the door which she entered. "In that. And while it is much warmer than what I had been afforded before I do not suggest doing anything to warrant getting it or the accessories that go with it."She cracked a smile that showed her platinum encased teeth. Every last one of the boys cringed back in mock horror, Cylus closed his eyes.

"Why?"

"Best you not know, my friend. Come and eat with me, I am afraid that I may be pushing my luck with this reprieve."

He drew a breath to ask her what she meant but took the meaning when she placed a finger over her lips and gestured for them all to sit. It was the biggest spread of food that they had all seen in quite some time. Sareth garnered a guess that at least two of them had never seen this much food in their lives, having been brought up here their entire lives. She herself had only seen something like this at a state function. They all ate in relative silence, the only sounds heard were the occasional slurp or burp. She could tell that these ones were genuinely happy to see her and would not try anything that might cause her to defend herself. She smiled for the first time in weeks as one of the others asked her a question.

"Do you think they will let you teach again soon?"

She simply shrugged. She really didn't know but didn't believe so. She furrowed her brow for a moment, searching her memories for his name. "Sadly, I think that I will not be allowed amongst the rest of you ever again, Peter."

"Then we will refuse to leave." Another piped in, this one she pegged much quicker.

"I can't allow you to throw your chances of getting out of here on my account, Sacha. I know they will not allow me, short of my death. But at least there is a chance that each of you will be chosen, hopefully by a Praetor with a good head on his shoulders, and actually have a chance at something other than the daily grind of this prison."

"It would be just trading one prison for another!"

"Nicolai speaks truly, some of us would rather die than have that happen."

"Truly, you would rather throw what life you have a chance at living down the privy Mikhail?"

This conversation was quickly getting out of hand, there was also no doubt in her mind that Serge was either monitoring the conversation on the other side of the door or her crop demon was acting as relay. She had to convince these boys to leave her here, go back to their lives outside of this room and forget her. As she was trying to think of an argument to get them out of here before Rufus and Bartok joined their damning two cents in, there was a commotion from the other side of the doors.


End file.
